Literature in the Victorian Age. Who were the famous literary figures (focus one one or two)? What did they write? Why are they considered significant?
Among the diverse literary figures in Victorian Age, this article will focus on two of them: Rudyard Kipling and Bram Stoker. Rudyard Kipling is famous for writing The Jungle Book and White Men's Burden. His works were significant that he was the supporter for imperialism, justifying British colonization throughout the world. Jungle Book was meant to be a children's novel, but this novel had significant impact to the Western people because this book illustrated white men as superior to the other aborigines. Mowgli, a white kid, shows extraordinary skills as haunting while the aborigines in the jungle are shown as uncivilized. This brainwashing work recieved Novel Prize in Literature in 1907, and this shows how Europeans favor the theory of superior white. Kiplin'g's other work, White Men's Burden, makes an effort to justify Western colonization. Kipling wrote that it is white men's duty to 'englighten' the inferiors of the globe, and that colonization are benefiting the aborigines.
Bram Stoker was also an important figure in Victorian Age, in a matter different from Kipling. Bram Stoker is famous for his novel, Dracula. This work is important how it exhibited horror genre, together with sexuality and the conflict between the West and East. Count Dracula in the novel is a horrific creature, arrousing fear to the characters in the novel. Physical description of Dracula became popular, and Dracula became a symbol of threat and violence. Moreover, the way how Dracula feed on blood provide gruesome and horror images. Sexuality was introduced by the three women vampires, and Stoker described them in a sensual way. Some critics believe that one reason this novel has remained popular for so long is the sensual, sexual power of vampires. Novel Dracula also shows the conflict between the scientific Western cultures and the spiritual Eastern cultures. Allusions in chapter 3 in the book, about Hamlet and Arabian Knight, supports this theme. Bram Stoker is recognized as an important figure of Victorian Literature by introduction of horror, sexuality, and the collision between the logic and superstition.
Further Research: http://www.george-orwell.org/Rudyard_Kipling/0.html
This site is reliable since it has a clear author: George Orwell. He is extremely knowledgeable and creditable since he is a renowned author for his significant works, such as 1984 and Animal Farm. The site has an ending with .org, and the site is sponsored by official sites for the authors, including Charles Dickenson, Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, and Willaim Shakespeare. This site was made to inform the readers, and the intended audiences are general audiences, and the site is relevant to my topic, Kipling's imperialism.
http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Literature/Authors/S/Stoker,_Bram/
This site is reliable, having a sponsor called Netscape. The URL ending is .org, which is nonprofit. The site was created to inform the audiences, and the intended audiences is general, which includes students as well. The last update date is November 2, 2009, which is not 'dead.'
Dean Lee
Literature in the Victorian Age. Who were the famous literary figures (focus one one or two)? What did they write? Why are they considered significant?
Among the diverse literary figures in Victorian Age, this article will focus on two of them: Rudyard Kipling and Bram Stoker. Rudyard Kipling is famous for writing The Jungle Book and White Men's Burden. His works were significant that he was the supporter for imperialism, justifying British colonization throughout the world. Jungle Book was meant to be a children's novel, but this novel had significant impact to the Western people because this book illustrated white men as superior to the other aborigines. Mowgli, a white kid, shows extraordinary skills as haunting while the aborigines in the jungle are shown as uncivilized. This brainwashing work recieved Novel Prize in Literature in 1907, and this shows how Europeans favor the theory of superior white. Kiplin'g's other work, White Men's Burden, makes an effort to justify Western colonization. Kipling wrote that it is white men's duty to 'englighten' the inferiors of the globe, and that colonization are benefiting the aborigines.
Bram Stoker was also an important figure in Victorian Age, in a matter different from Kipling. Bram Stoker is famous for his novel, Dracula. This work is important how it exhibited horror genre, together with sexuality and the conflict between the West and East. Count Dracula in the novel is a horrific creature, arrousing fear to the characters in the novel. Physical description of Dracula became popular, and Dracula became a symbol of threat and violence. Moreover, the way how Dracula feed on blood provide gruesome and horror images. Sexuality was introduced by the three women vampires, and Stoker described them in a sensual way. Some critics believe that one reason this novel has remained popular for so long is the sensual, sexual power of vampires. Novel Dracula also shows the conflict between the scientific Western cultures and the spiritual Eastern cultures. Allusions in chapter 3 in the book, about Hamlet and Arabian Knight, supports this theme. Bram Stoker is recognized as an important figure of Victorian Literature by introduction of horror, sexuality, and the collision between the logic and superstition.
Visual References:
Rudyard Kipling. 1926. Photograph. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1800_1899/kipling/kipling.html>.
Dracula. Photograph. Dynamite Entertainment Presents The Complete Dracula Graphic Novel. Dominie, 28 Jan. 2009. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://www.famousmonstersoffilmland.com/tag/the-complete-dracula/>.
Works Cited:
The Victorian Web: An Overview. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. <http://www.victorianweb.org/>
"Bram Stoker" Wrold History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO. 2010. Web. 11. Feb. 2010 <http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com>
"Kipling's Imperialism." The Victorian Web: An Overview. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. <http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/kipling/rkimperialism.html>.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula (Penguin Classics). London: Penguin Classics, 2003. Print.
Further Research:
http://www.george-orwell.org/Rudyard_Kipling/0.html
This site is reliable since it has a clear author: George Orwell. He is extremely knowledgeable and creditable since he is a renowned author for his significant works, such as 1984 and Animal Farm. The site has an ending with .org, and the site is sponsored by official sites for the authors, including Charles Dickenson, Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, and Willaim Shakespeare. This site was made to inform the readers, and the intended audiences are general audiences, and the site is relevant to my topic, Kipling's imperialism.
http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Literature/Authors/S/Stoker,_Bram/
This site is reliable, having a sponsor called Netscape. The URL ending is .org, which is nonprofit. The site was created to inform the audiences, and the intended audiences is general, which includes students as well. The last update date is November 2, 2009, which is not 'dead.'